The results of these negotiations matter to all of us, not
just the politicians and bureaucrats sitting around the table. Today’s
connected world amplifies citizen voices like never before, and brings along
with it the opportunity to influence. Whether it’s through mass demonstrations like
the People’s Climate March, or more
controversial stunts like Greenpeace’s
Nazca Lines, there is unprecedented scope for the public to weigh in on future
directions for development.

Yesterday’s launch of Action2015,
a campaign to rally the public across 50 countries to call for concrete and
ambitious action on issues of ’inequality, injustice, poverty, and climate
change’ is one such important initiative.

But what are campaigners asking for? Despite the overall
focus on extreme poverty, a quick scan of their hashtag
reveals an array of issues, from improving girls’ education to the rights of
the elderly. It will be critical to keep an eye on the big picture to test how
much progress we’ve made, come 2016. Here are five issues that could make the
difference between success and failure this year:

1. Breaking
down false walls

Traditionally, tackling long-term poverty,
addressing climate change and responding to disasters have each involved
different people, institutions and frameworks, with surprisingly little
conversation between the three.

ODI called for better integration on zero
poverty and zero net emissions at the latest climate conference in Lima. The
test for 2015 will be to build not only coherence between agendas but also
plans for joint action.

2. Tackling inequality

Following major gains in the
fight against extreme poverty, the remaining poor are becoming harder to reach
– using the same strategies would mean progress is likely to slow over the next
two decades. While countries like Malawi
and Ghana
have made gains through greater macroeconomic stability and agricultural
growth, strategies like social
assistance, investment in education, and pro-poor growth are sure to take
on increasing importance.

As gaps between rich and poor within
countries widen, we need a greater
focus on inequality. A simple but critical test will be whether or not global
targets and indicators on development embed equity into the frameworks using stepping
stones or another method.

3. Rethinking who is financed and how Diverse sources of funding are critical
for development. In Nepal,
higher household incomes, increased tax revenue and donor prioritisation
combined to fund a 50% reduction in maternal mortality from 1995-2010, which
included a 20% fall in people’s out-of-pocket health expenditure.

With more than seven million votes in MyWorld,
it is clear that citizens worldwide want their voices heard, and amongst other
things, prioritise more transparent governance. Countries like Indonesia
and Tunisia
have made strong progress toward more open,
democratic and inclusive systems, but what is needed globally for greater
transparency and accountability?

One key
ingredient is the data revolution as laid out in the recent UN Secretary
General’s Report, ‘A
World that Counts’. To be further explored at the
upcoming Cartagena
Data Festival, the real year-end test will be securing
investment so that from 2016 on development data is disaggregated to see
at a glance what the patterns of poverty and inequality are within and between
countries and groups.5. Staying local

There is much talk about implementation of
the goals, but the most impressive development gains typically come where national
and local ownership is strong. In Kenya,
public demand for education has led to political prioritisation, which
alongside community and private sector provision, resulted in major gains in
access at all levels.

Amid numerous calls to ‘localise’
the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, this is an area where civil
society has an important role to play. By the end of 2015, will there be a structure
in place to support national and local governments to adopt their own targets
and strategies?As importantly, a
complementary system for accountability will be needed.

If
a year from now we can say each of these tests were met, we may actually be
able to deliver a better future for the world’s poor.